Jason Sloboda

Developed
to meet the need for mobile anti-tank weapons captured Soviet 76.2 mm F-22 Model
36 field guns were bored out to accept German 75 mm Pak 40 ammunition. Obsolete
Panzerkampfwagen II light tank chassis were then modified to mount the captured
guns with heightened front and side structures. The disadvantage was a high
silhouette yet the design was successful and many fought until the last days of
the war.

Everything above the fenders has been modified or scratch
built. The cannon is based around a 1/8" aluminum tube, modeled with the breach
open so the bore can be seen. Periscopes and the telescopic Zf 3x8 sight are
scratch built out of clear plastic. Other scratch built accessories include
brass ammunition, anti-aircraft tripod, equipment straps, shovel, sledge hammer,
bucket and more. This project took longer than it should have with the
individual track links and my lack of experience with these being the reason. If
to do over a set of aftermarket tracks would help save time and frustration!
I am pleased with the results and the model is pictured in Finescale
Modeler's 'Great Scale Modeling 2010' issue. The base changed after that to
correct (and hide) the lower run of track which did not sit correctly.

Next,
a 1/72 scale Italeri Hetzer 'Chwat'

During the Warsaw Uprising of 1944
several German vehicles were captured by the resistance. 'Chwat' meaning 'Brave
Person' was a Hetzer tank destroyer which was based on the Czechoslovakian 38(t)
light tank chassis. Captured by the Polish forces it fought around the post
office barricade after they repaired it. Lost not to enemy counter-attacks, the
building which it defended collapsed upon the vehicle.

The kit has been
modified extensively including a scratch built 75 mm gun based around a turned
styrene tube, open breach, scratch built interior, turned styrene rod
ammunition, scratch periscopes, modified kit figure, scratch skirt armor and
hangars. The 'cut-out' showing the interior was an afterthought, if done over
earlier planning would show more interior with a removable roof plate. A black
granite display base cut in the shape of the Star of David is approximately 1/2
done with a scratch post office building. The vignette is being built as a
tribute to the Warsaw Uprising resistance fighters.

Below
is a 1/48 scale Hasegawa Ki43-II 'Oscar'

After getting back into scale
modeling I decided to try a airplane. The kit included a motorized propeller yet
time decided to seize the motor. All panel lines were scribed deeper to ease the
application of aluminum foil, in fact about 90% of the aircraft is 'foiled'. Did
a fair amount of scratch built modifications to the cockpit yet when adding the
figure I had to remove some to get a proper fit! He is a CMK resin Japanese
pilot, really well cast and was a pleasure to paint. Exterior details include
'tin can' cowl flaps, metal radio antenna, modified oil cooler, repositioned
control surfaces (unfortunately a lack of aircraft research has the ailerons
positioned wrong!) The plane is set on a bicycle spoke which is mounted in a
rock secured with Milliput. The wings are removable to allow the battery to be
changed, this was modified to follow a panel line instead of cutting through it.
Not that it matters now the motor is dead. If to do over I would run the motor
wires out to the base and have the battery there. The model is pictured in
Finescale Modeler's 'Great Scale Modeling 2008' issue, with the propeller
spinning.